the gallery that wanted to pay me in "exposure", but specifically told me the dollar amount of what they'd normally charge for that exposure
i still think about the gallery owner who spent twenty minutes telling me about their "exposure package" and what it would normally cost an emerging artist, as if i was supposed to be grateful they were waiving the fee i'd never have paid in the first place.
what's the most creative payment offer you've gotten from a gallery? i'll start, someone once offered me a split where they'd take 60% AND i had to cover my own materials. when i blinked they said "think of the foot traffic."
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Oh man, that "exposure package" thing is wild. Like they actually broke down the pricing for you? I can't even imagine the audacity.
I haven't gotten anything that creative thankfully, but I did have a local shop ask if I'd let them display my paintings "for a season" to see if anything sold. No contract, no mention of commission, just a handshake. I asked what their cut was and they said "we usually do 50/50 but we'd need to talk about it." I never followed up. Felt like I'd be chasing my own money for months.
The materials thing gets me though. I dropped $60 on canvas and paint for one still life last week. No way I'm doing that AND giving up 60%. Some people really just see artists as a way to decorate their walls for cheap.
yeah they literally printed out a sheet. a laminated one, like they'd done it before. i almost laughed but i was too busy being stunned into silence.
the handshake thing is almost worse though. at least the exposure guy was upfront about what he wanted. that "we'd need to talk about it" means they'd decide the number after you'd already done the work. hard pass.
and yeah the materials cost eats you alive before you've made a cent. $60 on one piece and you're already in the hole before you factor in your time. drives me crazy when people think art is just expensive because artists are greedy.